Posts Tagged ‘paperless’

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Will Microsoft Make a Tablet Come Back?

Friday, September 16th, 2011

Earlier this week all the tech blogs were ablaze with news about Microsoft Windows 8.  I personally read about 6 – 7 articles about their new operating system.  Before you get too excited, it’s not ready yet and will not be ready until some time next year (and I suspect later next year).  Yesterday Microsoft released a developer preview for software engineers to download and start playing around with.  By far the best article, and the one I agree with the most was entitled “Sorry Apple, Windows 8 ushers in the post-pc era“.  The author captured my exact feelings about the current state of tablets right now.  Good for certain tasks, not for others.

Good for Inspection Software

The current generation of tablets are great for tasks that are intended to be conducted in the field as well as casual computing and note taking.  Job site audits are a great example of a task that works great on a tablet device.  In general, inspections and quality assurance tasks are something that works very well with tablets.  That being said, wouldn’t it be great if you were using your tablet to run your safety inspection software and then you could have full PC functionality to work on that whitepaper or proposal?

Bad for Writing Essays

Have you ever tried to write a long document on a tablet computer such as the iPad?  It just isn’t that suitable for that type of task (in my opinion).  Sure, some people will argue that you can get a keyboard for it and some sort of app for Word documents, but it’s not ideal for power computing.  Let’s assume you could squeeze out a simple Word document.  How about running Photoshop?  Not happening.

What Windows 8 could (hopefully) represent is 1 platform to rule them all.  A great tablet user interface and a form factor that would allow me to run all of my full featured applications is something I would pay for in a heart beat.  It may be just what Microsoft needs to get back in the tablet game.

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Let it Snow: Safety Compliance and the Weather

Wednesday, December 8th, 2010

Good morning friends! I suppose I should mention that today, I am in quite the crabby mood. It’s really nothing personal, but the weather up in Toronto, Ontario has gotten severely unbearable. It’s about 12 degrees Fahrenheit outside. I think it might be just me, but I like to spend cold days curled up by a fireplace with a cup of warm cocoa and pretend like it’s just not happening. A cup of hot cocoa sure would be great right about now.  Never mind the fact that the amount of sugar in cocoa can probably drive me to super-productivity for about 15 minutes before collapsing on the floor. But my health and food choices are definitely not the topic of today’s blog (even though someday they may be).

Folks, the weather outside is terrible. But on the other hand, compared to London, Ontario, we actually don’t have it so bad. For those of you who don’t know, London was hit by a massive 100 cm of snow earlier this week. It was enough to practically shut down the whole city. There were over 300 accidents reported and people have been literally confined to their homes due to inability to travel. Although I wish every night that it would snow in Toronto, I have to admit 100cm is a little excessive.

How does this relate back to safety? Well, if you have ever experienced a snow storm like this, or tried to get your daily errands done in terrible weather, you actually might have something in common with safety inspectors. This type of weather really lets you get a feel for the different kinds of harsh environments they have to go through to perform their everyday duties. If you think about how hard it is to get around during bad weather, can you imagine how hard it is to be a safety inspector?

Safety inspections have to take place periodically and it has to be done rain or shine, literally. From high communication towers to mines to sewage systems, inspectors have to climb up and down these harsh environments to make sure that everything is functioning properly and that it is safe to use. And they don’t just get into the car, walk 5 meters to the grocery store, and then go home. They actually have to walk around in these conditions to conduct their inspections. Having to deal with bad weather once in a blue moon, is just another way that you can experience the hardships of being an inspector. But they do this everyday and most of them are still using pen and paper.

Imagine yourself in this snowstorm, and having to pull out a pen and paper to record information: Not only will your hands be freezing, but you also have to protect the paper from getting wet, and ruining all your information. If you drop your clipboard in a puddle of water, that’s it. You have to start all over. For those of you who aren’t in the safety compliance industry, this imaginary situation is exactly what it is like to rely on paper-based inspections in such a terrible environment. With inspection software and rugged devices, you don’t have to worry about dropping your device and you don’t have to worry about frostbites, you do your inspections with a stylus, “click, click ,click” and you’re done. No pen necessary and you get to keep your gloves on.

We should be extremely thankful that even in the worst of times, our inspectors are able to perform their daily duties and put their best foot forward. Next time you’re trying to walk around in a rain storm or in extremely cold weather, remember that these are the working conditions of the people who ensure our safety.

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What Safety Compliance Shares with Super Mario

Friday, November 19th, 2010

I have a confession to make on today’s blog post. I am a hardcore gamer fan. Now this may not come as a surprise to anyone in the office, I have a very extensive knowledge of all sorts of computer games and I have probably spent all of my piggy bank savings on the newest and greatest Nintendo and Playstation products since I was 12. After years and years of playing video games, I’ve noticed one of the most neglected facts about gaming: there is always that one game that your parents know, you know, and most likely, your kids also know. Why is that?

I recently bought the new Nintendo Wii version of the Super Mario Brothers game. We all know Super Mario right? The plumber who can jump really high and battles turtles to save Princess Peach, who seems to always get captured by the same weird looking creature named Bowser? Let’s face it, the storyline itself, hasn’t changed much. It’s been over 20 years since the first Mario game came out, and to my surprise, there are now over 200 games where Mario makes an appearance. Isn’t new always better? Why would Nintendo spend 20 years making the same game over and over again?

It’s actually a very simple answer. They realized that technology was getting better, and they can improve what they knew was one of the greatest games of all time. From Nintendo to Super Nintendo to Nintendo 64 to GameCube to Wii, they realized that  with every new console, they can improve a game that works, but can be better with new technology.  Here at Field ID, we also share this same goal.

Safety Compliance is also one of the greatest and most important regulations of all time. We know that safety inspection is important, and it definitely works with paper. Safety Compliance procedures have improved over time. From purely paper-based inspections, people have already taken a step towards newer technology when they started inputting data using an excel spreadsheet. But I’m here to tell you, that we can take it further. Paper-based inspections is the old Nintendo, excel data spreadsheets might be the Super Nintendo, but a digitalized inspection software can be your Nintendo Wii. With each step of technology, we should work to improve the workflow of safety inspection, knowing that we can do better than the last.

We can take a workflow that we knew worked, but now can be perfected with new developments in software. Knowing that Super Mario has been extensively improved over 20 years, would you still play the old version from the original Nintendo instead of playing it on Wii?  Well, maybe for sentimental purposes, but in terms of functionality, I’ll admit that the new Mario, is much better and much easier to play. We can apply the same concept to safety inspections, maybe paper seems more familiar because its been your solution for years, but inspection software has been designed to make safety compliance better and much easier to use.

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The Inevitability of Going Paperless for Safety Compliance

Tuesday, November 16th, 2010

Quick Kindle Review As you may have read, I have an iPad.  Over the weekend, I was watching the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey game with a friend at my place (the Maple Leafs lost, surprise, surprise).  My friend noticed my iPad and asked me what I thought of it.  I told him that outside of using it to watch movies on the airplane, I didn’t find it all that useful.  I basically told him that it just couldn’t do much more than my iPhone (it actually does less), and didn’t fit in my pocket.  He was surprised, stating that he thought it would be good for reading books. I suggested if he wants an e-reader, he should get the Kindle – to which he declared “I don’t think I could use one of those, I really like the idea of having a physical book”.  He is still attached to the idea of having a physical book, and has not accepted digital e-readers yet.

This conversation got me thinking about how long books would be around for, and if they would go the route of CDs, dying a slow death.I asked him when the last time he bought a CD was.  I can’t remember the last time I bought one, that’s for sure, and neither could he.  I was suggesting to him that books and paper were going to follow the CD:  heading to non-existence.

I Get it, I Really do…I Want Paper Too…

But (and that’s a big but) the joy I get from owning an actual book is now less appealing than getting that book online in mere seconds.  Listen, I still have about 12 novels that I feel attached to.  I understand why people like to have them, but let’s face it – they are on their way out.  We are approaching a tipping point for paper-based media.  There are much better, cheaper and faster ways to consume this information.

Attendee lists

Enterprises Should Learn From Consumers

I am not just making this stuff up because I need an excuse to buy a Kindle, the proof is in the proverbial pudding.  Amazon does not release sales figures, but the CEO Jeff Bezos stated:  “Millions of people now own Kindles, and Kindle owners read, a lot. When we have both editions, we sell 6 Kindle books for every 10 physical books.“  Clearly, the market is speaking.  Enterprises have many business  units that operate all on paper, and this must change.  Safety compliance is just one aspect of large organizations that can go paperless, and hopefully, at Field ID we are producing a product that can help achieve the value it can provide.

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Your Best Reason to Why Inspection Software is Not For You

Thursday, October 28th, 2010

There are some moments in life, where you just look at someone else, and you can’t for the love of you, figure out WHY they would do what they are doing. I look down the street, to see one of my friends using a green-screen phone and I think to myself “Why are you STILL using a green screen phone when you can get a smartphone for almost no money these days?” It just doesn’t make sense. Then I spend hours personally being frazzled up over the issue. Sometimes, I would spend hours trying to convince them that it is the dumbest idea. True Story.

In a similar situation, I couldn’t for the love of me, understand why people still use paper to do safety inspections. It boggled my mind, until I finally discovered the most common and ultimate reason for why people refuse to switch to a paperless solution for safety inspections: “What we use right now, works for us.”

Now we’re not here to say that paper doesn’t work. The green screen phone maybe missing some key functionalities but of course it still functions as a phone. It still dials in and out, it can show you who’s calling, and you can probably receive text messages too. But what are you missing out on? Maybe you’re missing out on wireless headsets, and with the new driving laws, you can’t phone anyone when you’re driving. Maybe you’re missing out on a QWERTY keyboard for text messaging that could save you time. Maybe its as simple as you’re missing out on a phone that could also function as a camera or a multimedia player. You never cared that you carried an MP3 player, a camera, and a phone all separately, but maybe it’s because you don’t realize that one smartphone can be all three devices.

Paper works, of course. I mean, safety compliance was still an issue 30 years ago, and they used paper. So it should function just fine. Paper (like a green screen phone) can also provide the basic functionalities: It can record the inspection and be filed in big filing cabinets for traceability. If you need to find a report, you would be able to, but it would take time. But also like a green screen phone, you have to ask: what are you missing out on?

Where a smart phone can save you time in providing you a QWERTY keyboard, safety inspection software can save you time by providing you with instant traceability. Any records can be instantly accessible through software, rather than spending hours in filing cabinets. Maybe you’re missing out on the mobility of safety inspection software and rugged devices; You can’t guarantee the safe return of a paper-based inspection checklist in a harsh environment. But you can have such a guarantee using a rugged device to perform inspections.

And finally, maybe it’s just as simple as missing out on some extra features of an inspection software that paper reports just don’t provide as an option. What if you actually needed to take a picture of a deficiency? You don’t want to have to carry a camera, take a picture, develop the film, then attach it to your paper-based report. Since the process is so long and difficult, maybe you don’t take any pictures. But since safety inspection mobile software can allow you to take pictures with your inspections, now pictures are a perfect new feature to add to your records.

So yes, paper may work for you. Maybe you don’t want to disrupt your current workflow. But have you ever wondered what the advantages of safety inspection software could provide? What exactly are you missing out on?

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